Health services

Tender description

NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group, The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, NHS West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group and West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust seek to jointly commission Ophthalmology Services across Suffolk (minus Waveney). The scope of this tender covers two (2) lots: — Lot 1: Referral Refinement, Remote Review Platform and Management of the Extended Scope Practitioners, — Lot 2: Community Ophthalmology Services. The Commissioners are seeking a partner to host services that: — will work with the strategic partnerships to help use technology and innovation, — will enable the system to efficiently and effectively treat the eye care needs of our populations, — undertake the contractual and financial functions for the Enhanced Service Provider (ESP) contracts, and — provide assurance around the clinical management of the ESP’s. Below is an outline of what the service will be required to provide: — an electronic single point of access to all ophthalmology services across Suffolk, — an electronic based central care record enabling referral details, care outcomes / notes and digital imaging/OCT to be recorded, housed and transferred to hospital scanning services to be uploaded into patients’ records, — a remote clinical triage platform that allows for remote triage and feedback of a decision, a centralised care record and transmission of digital images, test results and OCT scans with full manipulation capability, — processing of all referrals in preparation for the triage process by the Acute Trust, — an electronic onward referral to appropriate pathway / services, — eligibility of the patient to access this service by checking the patient is registered with a GP belonging to I and ESCCG or WSCCG membership, — contract management of the extended scope practitioners, including clinical and financial elements. For the first 6 months (approximately) the service will be required to provide multi-disciplinary triage of referrals delivered to the timescales outlined within the specification for Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG. Triage teams should be consultant led and may consist of accredited optometrists / nurses / orthoptists. This is to support The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust in the development of its own triage team and protocols by allowing hospital clinical staff to train alongside the triage clinicians provided by the successful bidder. This clinical element may be subcontracted. It is envisaged that The Ophthalmology Referral Refinement, Remote Review Platform and Management of the Extended Scope Practitioners will form part of Ophthalmology Strategic Partnerships which are to be developed within the NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group locality and within the West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning locality. Over the lifetime of the contract we would foresee the Provider(s) working closely with the system to develop and innovate the services. Contract review provision: Please note that the services and associated specification and prices commissioned within this contract may be subject to review and change. Moving forward it is the Commissioners intention to undertake a review of its Ophthalmology services in conjunction with the selected providers; therefore, the scope of the possible changes to be made to this contract shall relate to the outcomes of any continuous improvement including the potential introduction of a larger population to support the STP footprint. i.e. the contract and specification may be amended to also deliver ophthalmology services within North East Essex, through a variation to the contract in accordance with Regulation 72 (1) (a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Additionally, the contract may also be amended in terms of the original services supplied, where, following assessment it is identified that it is logical for additional services to be delivered in conjunction with this contract and by the provider, both in terms of actual service delivery and to avoid duplication of costs. These services may include but are not limited to other services and specialties formally delivered in community and secondary care settings where it is foreseen that these services can be delivered more effectively as part of this contract. The Community Ophthalmology Service which is the service within Lot 2 will be provided for NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group only. The scope for this service is for the provision of facilities in community location(s) (to be agreed with the commissioner) that can fully support the delivery of efficient and effective “one stop shop” see, diagnose, and treat services that are pivotal to the delivery of a fully integrated eye-care service. In scope for this service is the provision of appropriately trained staff required to: — undertake eye examinations, — follow consultant led treatment plans, — perform required administrative functions, — operate diagnostic equipment to perform, — Retinal Photo Documentation and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), — Fields Examination, — Dilated Binocular Indirect Retinal Examination, — Anterior Eye Examination, — Visual Acuity. From day one of the contract the majority of those patients that require glaucoma monitoring will be transferred into the community services and over time with the development of consultant led protocols, the following group of patients could also be seen within this service: — Hydroxychloroquine monitoring, — Central Serous retinopathy (CSR), — Confirmed Macular dystrophies, — Retinal nevus-established, — CRVO, BRVO, RVO (non-ischaemic), BRVO (-MO), — Retinal emboli, — Stable AMD Monitoring. It is anticipated that the scope for this service will develop as the strategic partnership matures; enabling the services to be aligned in the most effective way for the patient, rather than being limited by traditional organisational boundaries. There is potential for the Community Ophthalmology Service to take on additional services or to change the way pathways function throughout the duration of the contract as the partnership and services develop and relationships mature. It is envisaged that The Community Ophthalmology Service will form part of Ophthalmology Strategic Partnership which is to be developed within the NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group locality A. Over the lifetime of the contract we would foresee the Provider(s) working closely with the system to develop and innovate the services. Contract review provision: please note that the services and associated specification and prices commissioned within this contract may be subject to review and change. Moving forward it is the Commissioners intention to undertake a review of its Ophthalmology services in conjunction with the selected providers; therefore, the scope of the possible changes to be made to this contract shall relate to the outcomes of any continuous improvement including the potential introduction of a larger population to support the STP footprint. i.e. the contract and specification may be amended to also deliver ophthalmology services within North East Essex, through a variation to the contract in accordance with Regulation 72 (1) (a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Additionally, the contract may also be amended in terms of the original services supplied, where, following assessment it is identified that it is logical for additional services to be delivered in conjunction with this contract and by the provider, both in terms of actual service delivery and to avoid duplication of costs. These services may include but are not limited to other services and specialties formally delivered in community and secondary care settings where it is foreseen that these services can be delivered more effectively as part of this contract.